Meadowes' Memories
by Naneek
Summary: Dorcas is clumsy, sometimes insensitive, and “depressingly ordinary”. She’s also dead. As a ghost, she tells the romantic, dramatic, and rather comedic story of her 7th year at Hogwarts during the Marauder era.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 (This is basically an "introduction", just to establish characters and such. Enjoy!)**

_I'm Dorcas Raenora Meadowes (hell of a name, huh? I go by 'Rae'), and I'm a ghost. _

_I wasn't always a ghost (obviously). I've been a not-so-proud member of the dead for 17 years. I was 18 when I snuffed it, so I guess I'm 35 now. I mean, if I was alive I would be. Seems the dead don't age much - well, actually, not at all. _

_17 lonely years have made me question the decision I made that October night in 1978, the decision that keeps me trapped inside this pale shadow of my 18-year-old self. I try not to think about the centuries that lie ahead. Truth is, being dead isn't much fun. It's especially horrible if you're too afraid (ashamed) to show yourself to your old friends. Watching them grow up, get new jobs, houses, families...even die. _

_But of course James and Lily didn't stay earthbound to keep me company. No, they chose the honorable path - whatever lies after death, that is. I wouldn't know. I was too afraid. Well, I had unfinished business, not that that excuses my cowardice. Sometimes I wonder how a Gryffindor can fail so miserably when courage is required. Oh well, I can't mope forever. _

_Wait, actually I can. Super. _

_But anyway, I want to tell you my story. I'll start during my 7th year at Hogwarts. If I remember correctly (and I do), that was the year I chopped off my hair with a Severing Charm. Not the wisest fashion choice of my life, but it seems like a good place to start._

_I was 17, average height and weight, with long, shiny tresses of wavy black hair, accented with just a hint of natural red, and sparkling blue-green-orange eyes. _

_Heh heh, I wish. Really, I had an unruly mane of wavy blond hair and pale grey eyes that I was horribly self-conscious about. An oblivious, hormone-ridden, occasionally spotty, depressingly ordinary adolescent. I had no idea I would be dead a little more than a year..._

Peeling myself away from my hysterical mother ("You never write!"), I wheeled my trolley casually up to the gate of Platform 9 and 3/4. I tried to subtly slip through the barrier, but tripped over my foot and fell onto my trolley. Fortunately my weight rolled it through the barrier, and I recovered, looking around the crowded platform. Thank the gods no one had seen my entrance!

"Very graceful, Meadowes."

"Swanlike."

_Crap._

I turned to find the grinning faces of Gryffindor's finest, James Potter and Sirius Black, the latter of whom gave me a delicious wink.

_Double crap._

I felt heat creeping up my face (I'm sure I was a lovely shade of crimson) and tried to look as though I'd meant to fall onto the platform. I doubt it worked.

"Black, Potter, nice to see you. How were your holidays?"

Sirius grinned. "Smashing. Literally." I didn't doubt it. Just then I heard familiar voices.

"Dorcas!"

_Come on, did they really have to use my first name?_

"Why are you all standing by the barrier?" Lily Evans asked suspiciously, leading Venus and Bridget over. "Are you planning something?"

Leave it to Lily to be suspicious of people standing by barriers. (Although it _was_ James and Sirius.) She looked great, though, freckly and even a little tan. At her arrival, James stuck his hand in his already messy hair and grinned goofily.

Alice Budger, Lily's and my roommate, smiled shyly at everyone and murmured greetings. Marlene McKinnon, another roommate, rolled her eyes at James and sauntered up to Sirius, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him rather violently. They'd been dating since exam time last year.

I looked away, not to give them privacy (neither Marlene nor Sirius had a reputation for modesty) but because, to tell the truth, I was a little jealous. Okay, a lot jealous.

Anyway, we eventually dragged Marlene onto the train and in a compartment, which was where I made the fateful decision to cut my hair. Er, _chop_ my hair. Marlene had brought me a potion for curly hair ("Defines _and _adds volume!") and I decided I'd try it to humor her. I think she was trying to make me into a fashion project.

Anyway, I squeezed some of the glop into my hair. All it really accomplished was to stick my frizzy waves together into clumpy super-waves. Attractive.

Marlene grimaced. "Well, that's okay. Daddy bought it for me in Paris. I don't know why, he must think I have curly hair or something."

She fingered her straight, white-blond hair casually, but I knew she cared about her father's cluelessness. Alice piped up, ever the optimist:

"I hear short hair is in now anyway, Rae."

"Fine then, I'll cut it!" I growled. Thinking about my hair always made me grumpy. Before Marlene could react, I pulled out my wand, yanked my hair up over my head, and gave it an O-level Severing Charm (wish I could have done that during OWLs!).

It fell around my face in ear-length, uneven and unflattering layers. Lily and Alice were too shocked to say anything, but Marlene's face turned purple and she opened her mouth, no doubt to berate me for crimes against fashion.

Then, (just my luck), Sirius, James and their friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew chose this moment to walk in. While Remus and Peter kept their composure at the sight of my new look, James and Sirius decided to show their support by snickering, pointing, and making snide comments, while standing right in the middle of the corridor. Of course, a fairly long line of people trying to pass by were now peering curiously into our compartment. To say I wanted to disappear would be an understatement.

After a few minutes of this torture, James turned to Lily and said in as deep a voice as he could manage,

"We've got to go, Evans. Head duties."

I think my jaw hit the floor. I knew Lily would get Head Girl, but James Potter? The annoying, trouble-making, cocky _James Potter_? Maybe Dumbledore _was_ getting senile!

Lily was as surprised as the rest of us, but she held it in and left with James, throwing us a "_this-really-sucks_" look over her shoulder. Sirius waved Remus and Peter on and took Lily's place next to Marlene. They immediately began snogging ferociously.

_Brilliant._

At least Marlene couldn't say anything about my hair. Alice grabbed a magazine out of her cloak and disappeared behind it, leaving me more than a little uncomfortable. I spent the rest of that ride staring out the darkening window, feeling sorry for myself. My seventh and final year was getting off to a _lovely_ start - not!

After what felt like a hundred lifetimes, we were seated at the Gryffindor table, zoning out as the new students were Sorted. I think I had actually begun to drool until a loud smacking sound told me that Marlene and Sirius had finally separated. I looked up to see what had caused this monumental event and found Sirius and his three friends huddled together, talking in low, excited voices. This could only mean one thing - prank.

Lily raised her eyebrows at us and Alice looked worried, but to tell the truth, I was a little excited (I'm not really sure what Marlene thought, as she was staring into space wearing a dazed look - probably from lack of oxygen). At any rate, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the four Marauders. Lily took this opportunity to nudge Marlene sharply.

"Snap out of it! What in the world is wrong with you, Marlene?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired," she replied, but the dreamy look in her eyes said otherwise.

"Don't tell me you're starting to _fall_ for him!" Alice gasped, eyes wide.

"Don't be silly, Al, he's just fun...I'm not stupid, you know..."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Sure, you say that now, but you're not the first girl to succumb to the "Sirius Charm"."

Lily looked concerned. "Just be careful, OK? You know how he is, he's just as bad as Potter!"

Marlene was miffed by our meddling. "Whatever, Lily...I know what I'm doing, OK? And if I were you I wouldn't start in about Potter...We all know how you _really _feel!"

And with that, Marlene stormed from the Hall, muttering about going to the bathroom. I wasn't worried - she was a very independent person, usually unwilling to accept help from others. That combined with her volatile temper meant that we'd seen many of these episodes before.

However, the look on Lily's face was something new. She was beet red and looked positively aghast.

Ever the sensitive one, Alice said, "Lily, she was just being a pain...Don't take it seriously..."

I was about to agree when I realized food had appeared in front of me. Finally! I spent a happy half hour eating everything I could manage.

About five minutes after the food appeared, Marlene walked back to the table, head held high, and muttered an apology. Alice, Lily, and I exchanged looks. We knew she was far too hungry to stay mad for long.

When our stomachs were all comfortably full, Dumbledore stood up and began speaking. We'd heard most of it before, and predictably, the reminders of forbidden areas and items were unremarkable (except for the reaction they caused in the Marauders, who grinned oh-so-sneakily at each other as Dumbledore spoke.) Finally, we heard Dumbledore getting ready to announce the next victim of the 'DADA curse', as we liked to call it.

"And I am very pleased to introduce you all to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Madam Bones."

Dumbledore gazed obligingly at the rather severe-looking witch at his right as the students dutifully applauded.

"What do you reckon?" I whispered to Lily.

"Looks like she'll be tough but fair. Should be nice after Cattletaugh!"

"Yeah, nice for you, not nice for those of us who _aren't_ getting O's in Defense..." I muttered.

While Cattletaugh had unarguably been an idiot, I would miss his halfhearted teaching style:

"Please read chapter 12 for next lesson, class...if you can find the time...you know, just look over it a bit...or not, it doesn't really matter, does it...you don't really care..." he would sigh after each lesson, often punctuated by suppressed sniffles. It was a well-known fact that the only reason Cattletaugh was teaching was because his wife had recently divorced him (after deciding that she'd rather keep seeing his brother). I'd always felt bad for the guy, but to Lily he was a waste of an hour and a half in which she could be learning Defense.

Lily was the smart, studious one, of course. Come to think of it, here I am, going on about my old teacher, and I haven't even described my friends yet!

Well, Lily. Like I said, she was smart. She had a tendency to be a bit of a know-it-all sometimes, and she could be overconfident, but she was a true friend, and kind to everyone. With long, auburn hair and very bright green eyes, she was definitely pretty, and Head Girl now to boot. I think we all secretly wanted to be Lily...but if there was one thing she was clueless about, it was how she was seen by others. I think that's why I never ended up strangling her in her sleep out of jealousy. Joke.

But anyway, Lily was the golden girl...then there was Marlene McKinnon. The beauty, of course; she had perfectly straight, shiny blond hair, a slender figure, and big blue eyes. Marlene came from a rich family, and could be haughty and stuck-up, but she was also the most loyal person I've ever met. She was proud, both of herself and of the rest of us, and sometimes annoyingly independent, but if you needed a word, Marlene was always there.

And of course, Alice Budger. Alice was quiet and shy. She never spoke up in class, even when she knew the answer (which was most of the time - she was nearly as smart as Lily.) She was rather plain, with mousy hair and brown eyes, but she wasn't ugly. Alice has always been a mystery to me: she was sweet and kind but had a cutting sense of humor that would totally catch you off guard. She was observant and very keen, in a quiet sort of way, but every so often she'd come out with some crazy idea to make us all laugh.

Alice is still alive today...the only one of us who made it through. If you could say that - she was tortured into insanity by Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix.

Anyway, off that depressing subject. After the announcements were over, we all headed over to our common rooms amid Lily's cries of, "First-years! Follow us please!" and James' "Yeah, and stick close - the dragons are hungry!" I rolled my eyes. So much for responsible Head Boy.

Tired from our journey, we soon traipsed up to our dormitory, which looked thesame as it had the first time I saw it. The sight of my familiar four-poster gave me a rush of nostalgia. It was hard to believe that this was my last year!

Settled in under the warm covers and chatting sleepily with my best friends (Marlene swore to fix my hair in the morning), I had the feeling that I was home. It didn't matter that Sirius and Marlene were together, I told myself, or that the whisperings of a dangerous Dark wizard were getting stronger. Here, nothing could ever change.

**A/N:** **Hope you liked it! Like I said, this is mostly just a chapter to introduce the characters and get the ball rolling. I'm trying very hard to make the girls as believable and non-Mary-Sue as possible (even though they're not OCs). If I'm not succeeding, let me know**! **This story is pretty much planned out, so hopefully new chapters will follow soon. Feedback is appreciated! **


	2. NEWT Madness

**Well, here's Chapter 2! First of all I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed.Five reviews is absolutely amazing to me, believe it or not! As a newbie, every little comment I get is like sweet, sweet candy for my little ego. So thanks, and keep 'em coming! And asian.marshmallow, I hope the hair works out for you! ;) Thanks for the advice, clichebusters! Actually, Alice is semi-based on my best friend, and Lily is sort of like my mom...except I didn't mean for that to happen!**

**Anyway, I have to correct a mistake I made last chapter. If you noticed a 'Venus' and 'Bridget' in Chapter 1, don't worry. They're not mysterious disappearing characters or figments of your imagination, just representative of my horrible editing. Marlene, Alice, and Dorcas (Rae) were originally OCs named Venus, Bridget, and Rae, respectively (as you can see, I loved the name Rae too much to part with it!). I changed them to try and stay as far away from Mary-Suedom as I could. So apologies for that!**

**Also, this might be the last update for a while since the dreaded NYS Regents tests are this week and next.** **Since I slacked off all year, I now have to study like a maniac for two days so I can go to a semi-decent college. Oh, the joys of high school. Anyway, I hope you like the next chapter!**

I woke up late the next morning. _See,_ I told myself,_ everything's the same._ Even though I had to rush around and listen to Lily's impatient foot-tapping, things evened out since there was no time for Marlene to "fix" my hair.

Unfortunately, however, a look in the mirror told me that I was in dire need of Marlene's help. I grimaced and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to pull my choppy hair back in a ponytail. About half of it went up, the rest sticking out at odd angles. _Oh well. It isn't as if I have anyone to impress_, I thought bitterly.

When we finally made it down to breakfast, Professor McGonagall was already handing out timetables. Mine was predictably brutal. I wasstudying to be an Auror, as were Lily, Marlene, and Alice. It had become a popular career choice with the recent increase in Dark activity. I myself had only gained the required amount of OWLs with a whole lot of help from my more scholastic friends.

"What's the verdict?" I said gloomily to the others, who were still poring over their schedules.

"Not bad," answered Lily. "Potions and Defense this morning, Transfiguration and Arithmancy after lunch. More tomorrow, though."

"Not bad? Not _bad?" _I said somewhat hysterically. "Lily, this schedule is brutal, and I don't even have Arithmancy!"

Marlene and Alice nodded gloomily in agreement. McGonagall, who had obviously overheard my little outburst, stalked over to our seats.

"Well of _course_ your schedule will be brutal, Ms. Meadowes. What did you expect? It's NEWT year, and you're not going to be coddled."

She shot me another admonishing look and returned to the fifth years, who were complaining loudly about "Double Potions with the _Slytherins!"_.

After we had scarfed down some breakfast, we grabbed our things from the dormitory and hurried to Potions (minus Marlene, who had met Sirius in the hall and was probablyenjoying"stimulating conversation"with him in some broom closet).

Potions classes were taught by Professor Slughorn, a clever but hard-to-like man (he was the Head of Slytherin, if that tells you anything). Slughorn had a few favorites, topped by Lily, who he practically worshiped. I wasn't really on his radar, which was fine by me.

Anyway, as we walked into class, Slughorn jumped up and waddled over to Lily. He immediately startedbabbling away about something or other. To Lily's credit, she didn't like him anymore than the rest of us, and she was often quite cheeky to himand almost rude.Of coursethis just endeared her more to the Potions professor.

Lily and Alice, the brainiacs, sat down together. They'd been partners ever since first year, when they both knew the properties of the Drought of Living Death. Sickening.

I was usually paired with Marlene, but as she wasn't in class yet (and would probably be with Sirius anyway), I sat down at an empty table. It would be just my luck if I had to work with some greasy, sniveling Slytherin (and believe it or not, there was more than one to choose from).

"Hey Rae, is anyone sitting with you? I thought maybe we could be partners since our friends are currently snogging their brains out in a closet."

I looked up to see the bespectacled face of James Potter. _Not too bad,_ I thought. _He might be a jerk but at least he's good at Potions. _

"Sure," I answered, giving him what I hoped was an encouraging smile and patting the bench next to me. Consequently, I heard Lily hissing behind me like an angry cat.

"You're partnering with _Potter?_" she snarled. If I didn't know better I would have thought she was jealous.

"Who do you suggest, Snape? Or Rosier? Lily, he's good at Potions and you know it!" I retorted. James feigned deafness during this exchange, although his cheeks were turning a deep shade of scarlet.

Professor Slughorn finally left Remus Lupin ("you look so _pale,_ my poor boy!") and came to the front of the room. But instead of beginning class, he watched the door patiently until Sirius and Marlene entered, red-faced and disheveled. I felt my stomach clench at the sight.

Slughorn merely smiled mildly. "Now that Mr. Black and Ms. McKinnon have joined us, let's get started, shall we? You all have a busy year ahead of you!" He looked around at us, grinning as though it was a perfectly wonderful prospect. "We are going to be preparing for your NEWT from the very first moment in class to the very last, as in all your other classes, I'm sure! The workload will be intense and the potions difficult..."

I felt my mind drift away. Surely I'd hear this speech ten different timestoday anyway. Staring at Sirius' messy but shiny and soft-looking hair was a far better use of my time.

Or so I told myself. Anyway, about ten minutes later, James and I were working on an Unveiling Potion, which forced the drinker to return to a normal state from any magically altered one. Slughorn wasn't joking - it was a tricky and complicated potion, and I was already sweating in the heat of our cauldron.

James, however, was cool as a cucumber. He barely consulted the instructions in our textbook, just throwing in ingredients seemingly at random. Despite this, the potion was actually looking good, a rare occurance for me. No matter how hard he tried to act like he didn't care, James knew his stuff.

Potions abilities notwithstanding, I began to have doubts about James' real reasons for partnering with me. He began our first real conversation with this gem:

"Wow, your hair looks really nice like that."

He actually said it with a straight face. Well, two could play at that game.

"So does yours," I replied. James grinned and ran his fingers through the mop that was on top of his head. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was teasing him. This guy really had an ego.

"You haveabsolutely gorgeous eyes," he continued.

Okay, now I knew something was up. "What do you want?" I hissed. "Because if you think I'm gonna tell Lily you're some amazing guy -"

"Shh! Not so loud, she'll hear you!" James looked genuinely petrified, so I shut up. "I just want you to...you know, tell her I'm maybe not so bad."

I looked at him skeptically,dipping a bowl of mashed beetle heads into the steaming cauldron. "If you _weren't_ so bad, I might."

James sighed. "Look, I know I come off as an arrogant idiot sometimes, but I'm not. I'm an okay guy, really! I even stopped hexing Snape and told Sirius to treat Marlene right, but I don't think Lily even knows I'm alive. I really care about her, you know!"

Absolutely shocked by this spontaneous burst of...niceness..., I quit stirring the potion. Of course, that was the very thing you were not supposed to do during step thirty-five, and the potion exploded out of its cauldron and splashed all over James and me. Everyone looked up from their work, and as a few other people were also on step thirty-five, the room was soon full of people in varying states of disgustingness.

Fortunately, the stuff had no negative effect other than staining clothes and smelling awful. Slughorn chuckled good-naturedly and managed to get most of us clean. Of course, our beautiful potion was ruined, and I now smelled curiously like mouldy cheese. James and Sirius, of course, thought it was absolutely hilarious.

"Your _face!_" Sirius moaned on the way to Charms, almost doubled over with laughter.

"_My_ face? You should have seen _yours_!" James replied. The rest of the seventh-year Gryffindors and Slytherins, skin painfully raw and still smelling slightly, found it less amusing, and for the rest of the day I received many annoyed little glances. Never mind that the only reason I had stopped stirring was because James decided to act like a human being.

Go figure.

Anyway, the rest of the day was mostly uneventful save a badly-aimed Feather-Growing Charm. (I had the suspicion that there was more than bad aim at work, though, since the newly feathered person was Severus Snape and the charm-caster Sirius Black.)

After classes finally ended, I gave in to Marlene's pleas and let her do my hair in the dorm. She actually pulled a little scissors kit out of her bag. I wouldn't be surprised if she had one of those Muggle hair-drying chair gizmos under her bed.

All in all, it was a pretty painless task. Well, not literally painless, since Marlene had absolutely no respect for my scalp, but the haircut turned out all right in the end. Maybe not gorgeous, but at least even, and I liked the way the shorter layers framed my face and subdued my waves.

Of course, being Marlene, she had to parade me around in the common room like a mannequin: "Did you see it before? Isn't the transformation just _wonderful?_" Which, let me tell you, was not a great ego-booster. Anyway, I tried to imagine that the half-smile and raised eyebrow I got from Sirius was caused by more than Marlene's hair-cutting abilities.

Back in the common room for the evening,my fellow seventh years were either talking about the alarming amount of work or their still-noticeable cheese odor.

It was wonderful, really, to sit in front of a cozy fire and listen to Sirius' deep, throaty drawl (even if Marlene _was_ sitting on his lap), James' quicker, more excited voice, Remus' hoarse rasp, and even Peter's squeak. Since Sirius and Marlene had been dating, the boys hung out with us more often, and I have to say it was nice. Even Lily didn't look horribly uncomfortable, sitting next to James on the sofa.

I was almost dozing off by the time the conversation turned to Quidditch. James had been made Captain and he was holding tryouts that weekend. He and Sirius (who was a Beater) were talking about prospects for the newly open positions of Seeker and Keeper.

"I think I'll try out for Seeker," said Alice out of nowhere. Seven heads immediately swivelled in her direction. This is what I meant when I said Alice surprises me sometimes.

"I've been practicing. I'm actually all right," she said, her face reddeningfrom all the attention.

"Well, you'll have to be more than all right to join," James said, puffing out his chest. He glanced sideways at Lily. "The team's excellent this year, we're expecting the Cup again, with me as Captain and all."

Lily scoffed, her eyes flashing. "Typical, Potter. Alice_ will_ try out and she will _make it _too, you absolute -" Here she paused, unable to find a word for exactly what James was - "Ego-head!"

After this slightly anticlimactic ending, she stomped upstairs, dragging aquietly protesting Alice with her.

"And we're getting up bright and early to train!" she shouted from the top of the stairs.

Marlene and I shared a skeptical look. For all we knew, Alice couldn't even sit on a broomstick, let alone catch a Snitch. She'd never shown any interest in Quidditch before.

After Lily's outburst, our newfound camaraderie was pretty much ruined. James looked ready to either cry or hit something, Remus was tense, Peter was twitchy, and Sirius' lip was curled like a snarling dog. Marlene and I knew it was time for bed.

After a ten-minute, entirely nonverbal good-night from Sirius, Marlene followed me back up to the dorm. Upon entering, we were shocked to see Lily curled up on her bed, crying into her pillow. Alice was stroking her back and looking up at us worriedly.

"Lily!" I said. "What's the matter?"

"P–P_-Potter!" _she sobbed. "He's s-s-such a _jerk!"_

"Well, yeah," I said, uncomfortable, "but there's no reason to cry about it!"

"Oh very nice, Rae," Marlene said sarcastically, even as she gave me a meaningful look, gesturing towards Lily. I got the picture and we both crouched down next to her bed to comfort her.

Once Lily's sobs had subsided, we got into our own beds. No conversation tonight - the long day had been absolutely exhausting. I was out in about five minutes. What a way to start term!

**Hope you liked it! Feedback is, of course, very welcome!**


	3. Quidditch Practice

**Well, I survived testing and now I've got a summer of freedom ahead of me. (Unless I get a job...I'm crossing my fingers!) Hope you like Chapter 3!**

Lily was true to her word. The next morning I was shaken awake by Marlene at a frankly indecent hour, and Lily and Alice had already left.

"Mmph...What?" I mumbled. Of course, Marlene had interrupted a perfectly lovely dream. Never mind that it was about her boyfriend...

I felt a guilty twinge in my chest and forced my bleary eyes open.

"Come on, _Dorkie,_ they left without us!" Marlene knew that the stupid name worked on my sleepiness better than coffee. I heaved myself up (from my very, very comfy bed) and started pulling clothes on from the pile near my four-poster.

Marlene looked on in amusement, giving me helpful pointers every now and then: "Those aren't pants." "Take the hat off, it's September." I'm really not a morning person.

Finally, we made it out of the castle and were walking up towards the Quidditch pitch. It was an absolutely beautiful morning - comfortably cool, and the usually bustling grounds were calm and serene.

"It's nice out," I remarked to Marlene.

"Well if you woke up before noon on a weekend once in a while..." she retorted. For the record, Marlene was one of those people who are always annoyingly perky in the morning. She probably would have been skipping along picking flowers if I wasn't there. Appalling.

I could see people whizzing about above the pitch from far away. Not two people, either - it looked like at least a whole team, flying in formations as if they were running drills.

Marlene looked confused. "Lily said they were coming out here to practice. They were borrowing school brooms - got special permission from McGonagall on account of the tryouts."

"Looks more like a team," I replied, squinting at the sky.

Well, it _was_ a team. The Gryffindor one, to be exact. Apparently James was just as stubborn as our Lily - he had called an "emergency practice" for that morning.

"Emergency practice my arse," Marlene growled at Frank Longbottom, the only player nice enough to come down and talk to us. Even Sirius had stayed in the air, which didn't help Marlene's mood (not that I minded, considering I looked like I'd been through a hurricane). "He didn't want Alice training. I swear I'll kill him, and Sirius too." She sounded like she meant it, and Frank paled a bit.

"Well, I just did what James asked," he said. I guess he didn't want to get on Marlene's bad side. (A wise choice, trust me.) "But anyway, it doesn't matter. Lily shouted at James for a minute or two, and then she said she would practice anyway. I think they're flying somewhere by the lake now."

"Oh great, more walking," I grumbled, pulling Marlene away from the team practice.

Frank was right. Lily and Alice were indeed practicing by the lake, high in the air. From the ground we could see that one of the two was a passable flier, but the other was simply awful. I sincerely hoped it was Lily.

THUD!

I yelped as a golf ball hit the grass inches from my foot. The next moment, someone toppled to the ground next to me. It was Alice. Lily followed behind, landing somewhat more gracefully.

"Alright, you almost caught it that time," said Lily tersely.

"Only because you hit me with it..." murmured Alice. There were tears in her eyes, not surprising considering her rather uncomfortable-looking landing.

"So how's it going?" I said brightly, hoping this was just a rough spot in the training.

"Horrible!" sobbed Alice. Maybe she wasn't crying from the fall after all. "I can't fly worth anything!"

Marlene and I looked at each other, confused. "You told everyone you were pretty good," I said.

"Yeah, she's great on a Junior Shooting Star," Lily grumbled. "That's what she had at home."

Alice sobbed again. "I'm s-sorry Lily! I really want to be on the team!"

I was surprised. "Why?" I asked. It wasn't the nicest thing to say, probably, but I knew everyone else was wondering. I mean, she'd never said a word about Quidditch before, what had changed?

Alice blushed and looked away. "To help Lily?"

I started laughing, but shut up when Lily and Marlene glared at me.

"It doesn't matter, Alice, we'll make sure you get on that team. I can't believe James' nerve! And you know what, we've actually been getting along!"

We all looked at Lily, surprised. "Really!" she said, grinning a little. "We've had to do tons of things together already, what with the Head meetings and all. But get him around his little friends and..." She glared at the distant Quidditch field.

"Anyway," she continued, dropping her school broomstick, "I just wanted to prove this to him. He's so cocky about Quidditch and I wanted him to see that I'm not like the stupid girls that fall all over him and Sirius."

"Like me?" Marlene said, offended. "And since when have you cared what James Potter thinks?"

"No! No, not like you," Lily answered, ignoring my amused look. "You and Sirius are...very close and..." She gulped, changing tack at the speed of light. "Besides, I don't care what Ja - Potter thinks, he's an arrogant jerk and I can't believe I ever talked to him!" Lily rounded on Alice, a fierce look in her eyes. "And you'll get on that team if it's the last thing we do."

This didn't sound good. "Er, we?" I asked timidly.

"Yes, we! You and Marlene will stand up for Alice in front of those boys! Won't you?" As if I would say no - she probably would have attacked me or something.

"Uh, yeah, but there are other people who're trying out, and they're bound to be..." I shot a look at Alice.

"Better," she finished with a sigh.

"No matter. We'll threaten them, or use blackmail, you know. Whatever it takes." Lily said calmly.

Alice, Marlene, and I exchanged looks. Marlene cleared her throat and said, "Lily, er, I think it's time you went inside to cool down. Alice can practice with Rae, and I'll take you to the castle."

_Oh, convenient. _I shot Marlene a look and she grinned at me. "Fine," I said, and grabbed the old broom from the ground where Lily had dropped it. "Nothing else I'd like to do at seven in the morning."

Alice beamed. I picked up their golf ball and threw it into the air. "Go fetch!" I said, winking at Lily. Bad decision. She practically pushed me onto the broom, and prattled on for ten minutes about "Seeker training methods" and "likely trajectories". Meanwhile, Alice had actually tried to catch the stupid ball, and was now picking herself off the ground again.

I reluctantly rose into the air (although not very far - I hate heights) and started chucking the ball around for Alice. She generally either fell off her broom or got hit with it.

"How long until tryouts?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"Two weeks!" she replied brightly, flailing wildly on her broomstick for the golf ball.

I held the little ball up. "Haven't, er, thrown it yet, Alice."

Her face fell. "Oh. I thought I almost had it."

The rest of the weekend was devoted to Alice's Quidditch practice, since we would barely have time during the week. We still hadn't gone to the pitch, instead flying about in random places around the grounds.

"The more secret the better," said Lily cheerily. "We don't want James seeing how well we're doing!" I suspected she actually didn't want James seeing how truly awful Alice was.

Nevertheless, she did improve. On Sunday evening, Alice only fell off her broom twice and actually managed to catch the ball three times. Lily was optimistic - "Next weekend we'll bring out the Snitch!" - but I had my doubts. James wasn't going to keel over and let Alice on the team if she wasn't really the best candidate. Arrogant or not, he _was_ a decent Quidditch player.

One good thing (or bad, depending on who you were) was that Sirius and Marlene had cooled it off a little. They had disagreed about the Quidditch thing, of course. Furthermore, both had discovered that when your best friends are constantly fighting, it's hard to be together often.

That didn't mean the two refrained from their sickening public displays of affection (or more accurately, lust) but they were less frequent, and this was a welcome change. Also, with the fierce competition between James and Lily (he actually stopped asking her out) we girls stopped hanging out with the Marauders. Which was a shame, really, because we'd been having an awful lot of fun with those boys.

We certainly had other things on our mind, though. As classes started up again on Monday, we were beginning to learn what NEWT year really meant. The Auror track was difficult and demanding, and we were often up past midnight, quills scratching feverishly on never-ending essays.

This brought out the best in some (Lily had pinned a study and homework schedule to the walls), the worst in others (Peter Pettigrew routinely broke down in tears) and exhaustion in all. Poor Alice was practically dead on her feet, what with the practicing she did every evening and sometimes during mealtimes. It wasn't that bad for the rest of us, who just slouched on our brooms chucking golf balls, but Alice was perpetually tired and black-and-blue.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was by far the toughest class, not to mention a rude wake-up call. We entered the room for our first class to see clippings of the _Daily Prophet_ on all of our desks. Looking through them, I saw that they were all notices of death or disappearance, mainly about Muggles, but sometimes featuring a prominent witch or wizard as well.

Professor Bones walked in as we looked at the articles. "Here in Hogwarts," she began in a clear, authoritative voice, "we are sometimes insulated against the outside world. This is not necessarily a bad thing - our school offers a haven from the troubles that often occur outside its walls. However, in times like these, it can become a burden. This year in class, I want to break down some of the barriers between Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding world. I want you to see" - she gestured to the newspaper clippings - "what is really going on nowadays, so that when you leave this spring, you will be prepared."

Professor Bones paused. "As I am sure you know, in recent years our world and way of life have become threatened. Dangerous witches and wizards, led by an elusive and powerful wizard named Lord Voldemort" - a shudder ran through the room - "have been terrorizing Muggles, known Muggle supporters, and Muggle-born witches and wizards." Her voice grew stronger. "This threat is not temporary, nor is it inapplicable to students such as yourselves. In this class I hope to teach you, not only how to defend yourselves, but how to recognize danger in its many forms. Please take out your wands."

Transfixed by Professor Bones' words, many students were caught unawares by her speech's sudden end, and sat gaping up at her in alarm.

"Take out your wands, please!" she said in a louder voice. "I will not tolerate incompetence. This class may be vital to your very lives." We complied, unusually silent. She broke us up into groups of two, cleared the desks from the room with a wave of her wand, and then told us to begin dueling. "Nonlethal spells, obviously, and do not attempt any physical harm. That being said, use any curse, jinx or hex you wish. You may begin!"

It was pandemonium. None of us (with the exception of James and Sirius, who had had a lot of practice) were great shakes at dueling. Wands ricocheted off the walls, people turned into various other things, some unrecognizable, and many were on the ground in a Full-Body Bind. This was basically random, since nobody could aim. I'm pretty sure I was hit with a Bat-Bogey curse from a Ravenclaw on the other side of the room. James Potter alone was left standing, his partner (Peter Pettigrew) laughing and skipping around in apparent glee, duel forgotten.

Professor Bones, who had momentarily been a tree frog, transformed back with a faint _pop_, shouted for us to stop, and waited while various curses wore off.

"Now that is exactly what I'm talking about. You probably know all about what to do if you see a Kappa, but you're hopeless at defending yourself. Line up again, and let's practice the three D's of dueling in a life-threatening situation - Disarming, Defense, and - "

"Decapitation?" suggested James Potter (Lily scoffed imperiously).

"No, Mr. Potter. Distance. In this sort of situation, winning is often too much to hope for, and your main objective is to get as far away as possible and _avoiding_ injury, not trying to cause it."

We spent the rest of class learning nontraditional methods of disarming, to be used "only when the opponent is unaware or unprepared."

"3 D's? I've got a fourth: Depressing," muttered Sirius darkly as we left the room. It certainly hadn't been the most fun class, and we had been given a load of work already, but personally I thought it was a great wake-up call. Professor Bones certainly had many students reading the Daily Prophet, anyway.

The week flew by in a daze of studying and golf balls, and before I knew it the weekend had arrived. "One week to the showdown," Lily said darkly. You would have thought we were going to war.

Alice had now graduated to a Snitch, although we kept it within a smallish distance with a Containment Charm. She really was getting better. _Who knows?_ I thought. _Maybe she'll actually make the team._ After all, a week ago she wouldn't have been able to stay on her broomstick for the whole tryout. And to make things even better, Marlene and Sirius got in a huge fight that Friday evening (although I felt horrible for being happy about this).

Things were definitely looking up. Even McGonagall abstained from giving us homework over the weekend: "I daresay you'll take the extra time to enjoy the weather, and perhaps practice a little Quidditch, eh Potter?" She gave him a downright frightening look. "That trophy looks lovely on my desk, you know."

_She might have to go without it this year if Alice makes the team,_ I thought later that day as my friend clambered onto her broomstick. _But who knows?_

**Feedback is very appreciated. Thanks for all your reviews and comments so far! And as for the anonymous reviewer thing, I had no idea it was on (thanks asian.marshmallow!). Anyway, it's not on anymore, so if you _are_ anonymous, go nuts!**


	4. Sick of Naming Chapters

**Well, it's been a little while but here's Chapter 4. I actually start to move the plot forward in this chapter. (gasp!) Thanks for the wonderful reviews, and I hope you like it!**

"You girls're gonna lose this, Meadowes."

I was searching for a Lily-like retort to this when I realized that the speaker was none other than - drumroll please - Sirius Black, spontaneously starting a conversation (or taunting session) with me.

"Uh..." I replied intelligently. "No, I don't think so, really." I swallowed and continued staring at the mounds of homework on my table. I didn't even try to sneakily glance at Sirius' chest, exposed by his half-buttoned oxford. (I'm such a good girl!)

Then my resolve broke. Sirius actually sat down in the chair across from me, leaned across the table, and said in a deep, growly tone, "I need to talk with you."

I pulled myself out of the million and one fantasies that were running through my head and said (in a slightly squeaky voice), "About what?"

"Marlene." The fantasies disappeared. I think I may have actually deflated.

"Oh?" I pressed, a twinge of annoyance entering my voice. He had interrupted my (admittedly futile) studies and raised my heart rate for _Marlene? _

"Yeah. This stupid Quidditch thing has not been good for our, er, relationship." (_There's a word for it_, I thought.) "She's mad at me, and we never do anything anymore."

_This could not be more weird_. I was tempted to ask, "what do you mean, _do_ anything?" but decided to be nice.

Sort of.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to do. Lily's not going to back down, and I'm not stupid enough to ask her." I slammed _Advanced Transfiguration_ shut as punctuation.

"Whatever. It's only another few days anyway." He got up and walked back across the common room. I may have watched his butt on the way.

"And Alice is pretty good!" I yelled, causing several people to give me frightened "crazy girl" looks.

Lily walked over. "You tell 'em," she said in a halfhearted way, and plunked down in Sirius' vacated chair.

It was looking like I wasn't going to be doing much studying.

"What's wrong, Lily?" I really knew the answer, and wasn't surprised when she burst out -

"_James! _He's so arrogant and cocky and you know what I don't even care anymore he can have his precious Quidditch and his Seeker and he stopped asking me out!"

She said this alarmingly fast.

"Er, yeah, that's right," I muttered. "What was that about asking you out?"

Lily looked surprised at herself. "Oh, that. It's weird, you know?" (I didn't.) "Just, he usually does it all the time, practically every week" - she giggled and flushed slightly - "and now he's stopped. I mean, it's a tradition, you know?" (Still didn't.) " He asks me out, I turn him down and call him a dumbarse...it's _normal_."

I found this frankly rather _ab_normal, but smiled reassuringly anyway. "He's just upset about this whole thing. I mean, you're on _his_ turf now. He probably wants to impress you, as well." Wow, surprisingly insightful!

Lily looked dubious, though. "That's totally mad."

I shrugged. "Men." We left it at that, and Lily grabbed my Transfiguration essay.

"Rae, this is awful," she said conversationally. Gee, thanks.

Just then, Alice and Marlene entered the common room, looking distinctly ruffled. They made their way over to my table, Marlene turning her nose up at Sirius' grin and eyebrow-raising.

"Okay, there _are_ couches in this common room!" I said grumpily as Marlene shoved my things aside and plopped down on the table.

Lily ignored me and asked, "How was practice?" The So-Help-Me-I-Will-Beat-James-If-It's-The-Last-Thing-I-Do gleam was back in her eyes.

Alice smiled. (She had at least had the decency to pull up a chair.) "Not bad. I caught it twice!"

Wow, that really _wasn't_ bad. I was genuinely impressed. "Ready for tryouts?" I asked.

The smile slid off Alice's face. "Getting there," she replied.

"Well, I have good news for you all!" Lily said brightly, trying to change the subject. "James and I decided...well, actually I told him and said I'd hex him if he disagreed..." She smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, we're going to have the Halloween ball again this year!"

I groaned, but everyone else looked excited. This stupid tradition had been cancelled for the last two years, thanks to Heads who weren't insane. Now I would have to get a date, an outfit, and probably endure an hour-long "makeover" from Marlene.

"_Brilliant,_ Lily!" Marlene exclaimed, glancing at me. "I can give Rae a -"

"Makeover," I finished glumly. "Lily, why?"

"Please pass up your essays," Professor McGonagall said as our NEWT class settled into the familiar chairs.

I yawned. Last night had been torture - after the girls finally went to bed, I was left up finishing the homework I'd neglected for a week. Fortunately, Lily had fixed my essay that morning.

I rummaged through my overflowing bag in search of the homework. I couldn't find it! Panicking, I knocked over my ink bottle and plunged another hand in the bag. Still nothing.

Suddenly, a memory from that morning hit me: _"Here, I checked through your essay, Rae." "Thanks a bunch! Just leave it on the table for me, I'm finishing up some Charms still." _I could practically see the essay now, sitting innocently on the table.

I cursed, furious with myself. I was always forgetting things! This assignment was huge, as McGonagall had pointed out repeatedly. There was no way she'd let me go get it. I could hear her voice now: "Homework you forget is homework _I _forget...to grade, that is. Zero marks, Ms. Meadowes." She'd certainly said it before, probably thinking she was especially clever.

I looked around wildly for some means of escape, ignoring my ink-stained robes and parchment. Suddenly, miraculously, I got one.

"_REARGH!" _A hideous retching noise came from directly behind me, followed by a splattering of some warm liquid on the back of my robes, neck, and hair. I turned around, horrified, to see Sirius Black winking with a mouth that looked in need of a _Scourgify_ or two.

I'm not going to lie. Being covered in Sirius' vomit was probably the most disgusting thing that had ever happened to me, but also (sadly enough) one of the luckiest. We were both sent out of the room, myself for a change of clothes and Sirius for the nurse.

Once we were out of earshot, Sirius turned to me with a wide grin on his face.

"What do you think, eh? Projectile vomiting charm. Invented it myself, and I even had to practice to get the aim right!" He looked absurdly proud.

I was dripping and smelly, but pleased all the same. Don't ask me why - I should have been plenty upset that he had decided to unload his porridge on me. I think it had something to do with my tendency to be tingly and euphoric when he was within a 10-meter radius..

"Brilliant. How did you know I forgot my homework?" I said. It was odd to be talking to him like a normal person, even a friend.

"Doesn't take a genius," Sirius answered. "You were panicked and digging through your bag." Without changing his tone of voice, he continued, "You have ink on your face," grabbed my chin, jerked it upward, and rubbed my cheek roughly with his thumb.

Upon release, I was practically panting. I knew the gesture hadn't been romantic or anything, but the feel of his rough hand on my cheek and the sight of his face, tongue out in concentration, was enough to get me, er, excited. Pathetic, I know. I cursed myself inwardly and tried to hide my reaction, but I needn't have bothered. Sirius was now prattling on about how he'd developed his rather disturbing charm.

I stopped him. "Hang on. First of all, why would you even _want _to invent a vomiting charm? And why would you...empty your stomach...if you didn't have to? And oh yeah, you mind _cleaning me off?" _I said the last part rather hysterically, but remember the state I was in! Homework forgotten, puked on, and then assailed with full-on Sirius-ness (no pun intended).

My new buddy stopped walking and grinned. He turned me around by my shoulder (I tried to suppress my sharp intake of breath) and muttered _"Scourgify"_. I felt the welcome absence of barf.

"Well, as for the charm, why not?" He was totally serious. "I mean, what a great prank! I've already done it on Sniv- uh, Severus Snape. It was hilarious! He hurled too, all over Evan Rosier!" Sirius grinned at the memory. I was honestly sorry I'd missed it. "And about using it on you," he grinned sheepishly, "I forgot my homework too."

Well, then. We had something in common. Marlene never forgot things! Absurd, yes, but oddly comforting. I smiled back at Sirius like we were co-conspirators or something - two disorganized, absent-minded, and occasionally lazy students against the world. Heh.

The rest of the "brilliant scheme" went easily enough. I changed my robes, stuffed the essay under them, looked slightly idiotic trying to get the assignment out without anyone noticing, and handed it in. Sirius never came back. I've heard it said that Madame Pomfrey, who was youngish and pretty, had a crush on him and fed him chocolate.

I don't doubt it.

The next day was Saturday, Tryout Day. (Finally!) Alice woke up alarmingly green, excused herself politely, made horrible noises in the bathroom, and emerged looking a little better.

"Don't ask." she said. I wasn't going to.

The Marauders made their final statement that morning at breakfast (the tryouts were at ten). We were innocently enjoying our meal - well, Marlene, Alice, and I were. Lily was rifling through the Seeker book, whispering feverishly. I would have bet money that she was the one trying out.

Anyway, little Peter Pettigrew got up from the table (the boys, Sirius included, had vacated their usual seats and were at the other end of the bench) and waddled over, his face bright red.

"James said you're w-wasting your time. He said Alice will never make the team so you might as well give up now. He also said" - here Peter swallowed and wiped sweat from his forehead - "that it's obvious you're just d-doing this to get his attention, Evans. He said he would gladly make you happy and wants to know if you're going to Hogsmeade weekend after next. And Sirius said he wants Marlene to get on a broom so he can see up her robes." Peter looked aghast at this - Marlene looked absurdly pleased. "And Remus said he's sorry his friends are such gits."

Exhausted by this speech, he turned abruptly to leave. Lily caught him, however - "Hey Pettigrew!"

Peter turned around with the air of someone expecting to be hit. "Yes?"

Lily looked remarkably calm (she'd even closed the Seeker book). "You can tell your coward friend James that _I_ said he's got a lot of nerve to ask me out after insulting me. And tell him to grow up and talk to me himself, because sending you is really pathetic."

Peter nodded, relieved, and waddled back to his friends. He whispered something in James' ear, something that wiped the confident grin right off the black-haired boy's face.

Lily was eating composedly, immune to James' attempts to catch her eye. The rest of us were gaping at her, openmouthed. Lily was a smart person, but when it came to dealing with James Potter, she always lost her temper and ended up sounding - well, rather stupid. (Recall the "ego-head" business?) She didn't seem upset. The only thing that betrayed her feelings was a pair of bright pink spots high on her cheeks.

"What?" she said, noticing our shocked looks. We decided (wisely, I'm sure) not to ask, considering her already frazzled state.

After breakfast, we tramped down to the field for the tryouts. It was only about nine o' clock, so we spent an hour warming up. Or rather, Lily spent an hour getting Alice to fly around while doing unnatural-looking "stretches" while Marlene and I looked on in amusement.

Finally, we took a seat in the stands - there was also a vacated Keeper spot, and Seeker tryouts were second - and watched the proceedings. After what seemed like hours, all the Keepers had flown, and James was announcing Seekers alphabetically.

"Showtime," Lily said with a slightly manic grin.

After just one other tryout (in which the second-year hopeful had broken into tears after five minutes), "Budger, Alice," was called down. She was visibly shaking and I felt very sorry for her, though I couldn't suppress the question of _why_ she was doing this.

As Alice made her way onto the pitch, Sirius walked toward us, having been replaced by the other Gryffindor Beater. According to Lily, this was a good thing, since Sirius had better aim. When Lily told us this, Marlene had said with a wink, "You'd better believe it," which was faintly depressing. Even more so when I considered that when it came to me, Sirius could aim his _vomit_ very well indeed.

"What do you think? Will she make it off the ground?" Sirius raised an arm over his face (to fend off the expected attack from Lily, I guess). But she disappointed him - her eyes were trained on Alice, who had mounted her broom and was waiting for James to release the Snitch.

Sirius sat down next to Marlene, but had the decency to shut up while Alice flew. And flew she did - surprisingly well, in fact. She caught the Snitch both times James released it, and dodged Herman Kauler's Bludgers very well.

After she was finished, we watched around six others fly. Correction - Lily and I watched. Sirius and Marlene were busy "making up", which bore a striking resemblance to "making out". (This was also faintly depressing.)

Anyway, as we watched the candidates, it became obvious that Alice was by far the best. She wasn't spectacular or anything, but the other hopefuls ran the gamut from horrendous to passable. There was no question in my mind that Alice would get the spot, and we were already exchanging triumphant grins. Even Sirius conceded that she had done well, although he first had to emerge from the floor of the bleachers where he and Marlene had been "busy". I was savagely happy that there was a was of chewing gum stuck to Marlene's back.

Finally, James was ready to announce his picks. He cleared his throat importantly and read off a piece of parchment. ("As if he couldn't remember two names," said Lily contemptuously.)

"I would like to thank everyone for trying out today," James began. "After seeing you all fly I had a very tough decision to make, and blah blah blah." Well, he didn't actually say that, but the little speech was too boring to remember. James Potter liked to listen to himself talk.

Finally, he got to the point. "Our new Keeper will be...Marcus Smith!" After a few cheers, James cleared his throat. He looked nervous for the first time that day, and Lily gave me a worried look. "And our Seeker will be Catharine Pickett."

_What? _I wasn't sure I had heard right, and judging from the surprised murmurs around me, I wasn't the only surprised one. Predictably, Lily looked about ready to explode.

"When I get through with him..."

**Wow, a semi-cliffhanger. I hope you liked it! Of course, feedback is mucho-appreciated. Thanks to everyone who's already reviewed!**


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